https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607988/from-the-nfl-to-mit-the-double-life-of-john-urschel/
A set diagram depicts the places where different groups of objects overlap. Example: in the United States, there are about 1,700 professional football players, and thousands of people pursuing PhDs in math. In 2017, a diagram of those two sets overlaps in exactly one place.
Urschel is an offensive lineman with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, a three-year pro with 40 regular-season games played and a couple of playoff starts on his football résumé. He is also a doctoral candidate in math at MIT who has passed his qualifying exams and has nine published or accepted research papers on his academic résumé.
Urschel grants a few parallels between studying at MIT and playing in the NFL, but he says the comparisons go only so far. “In math, you have to be comfortable with failure,” he says. “In football, that should never be a thing.” Working on math problems, he explains, involves trial and error to an extent that would never be tolerated on a football field.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/why-i-play-football/
Objectively, I shouldn’t. I have a bright career ahead of me in mathematics. Beyond that, I have the means to make a good living and provide for my family, without playing football. I have no desire to try to accumulate $10 million in the bank; I already have more money in my bank account than I know what to do with. I drive a used hatchback Nissan Versa and live on less than $25k a year. It’s not because I’m frugal or trying to save for some big purchase, it’s because the things I love the most in this world (reading math, doing research, playing chess) are very, very inexpensive.
I play because I love the game. I love hitting people. There’s a rush you get when you go out on the field, lay everything on the line and physically dominate the player across from you. This is a feeling I’m (for lack of a better word) addicted to, and I’m hard-pressed to find anywhere else. My teammates, friends and family can attest to this: When I go too long without physical contact I’m not a pleasant person to be around. This is why, every offseason, I train in kickboxing and wrestling in addition to my lifting, running and position-specific drill work. I’ve fallen in love with the sport of football and the physical contact associated with it.
Simply put, right now, not playing football isn’t an option for me. And for that reason, I truly envy Chris Borland.
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